--- title: "Best heated airer | Home Comfort Lab" description: "How heated airers differ, what they cost to run, and which suit small flats, big families and drying fast." url: https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/best-heated-airer/ --- # Best heated airer How heated airers differ, what they cost to run, and which suit small flats, big families and drying fast. By [Pete Harvey](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/about/), editor. Updated 14 October 2026. This page links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [More about how this site is paid for](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/). ![A living room with a three-tier heated airer, cover half on, warming washing beside a slightly open window.](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/images/scenes/best-heated-airer.svg) > **The short answer** > > For most households, a three-tier heated airer with a cover is the best fit. It holds a full wash, and the cover keeps the heat around the clothes. Most airers have no built-in timer, so a plug-in timer stops it running all night. In a small flat, a compact airer that folds flat costs less to run and takes up less room. ## How heated airers differ A heated airer is a frame of hollow rails warmed by an element, usually to a temperature you can touch. The rails warm whatever is hanging on them, which speeds up drying compared with an ordinary clothes horse. They come in four main shapes: - **Winged airers** look like a standard clothes horse with fold-out sides. Easy to load and store, but they spread out across the floor. - **Three-tier airers** stack the rails in layers, so they hold more washing in the same floor space. - **Compact airers** are small and low-powered. They suit a few items, a baby's washing or a small room. - **Drying pods** are a frame with a zipped cover and a heater or fan at the base. They use more power and trap the warm air around the clothes. ## What to look for - **Enough rail space for one load.** If a full wash doesn't fit, you end up drying the rest on radiators, which puts more water into the room and blocks heat from reaching it. - **A cover.** It holds the warm air around the clothes instead of letting it rise off the rails. Some airers include one; for others it is sold separately. - **A timer.** It switches the airer off when the clothes are likely to be done, so you don't pay to heat dry clothes overnight. - **The power rating in watts.** This sets the running cost. A higher wattage usually means hotter rails and quicker drying, at a higher cost per hour. - **How flat it folds**, if it has to live behind a door or under a bed between washes. ## Our picks These are chosen by their specs against the list above. We haven't tested them ourselves; the reasons say which spec puts each one here. ### For most families BLACK+DECKER 63091 3-Tier Heated Airer with Cover - **Type:** Three-tier - **Power:** 300W - **Drying space:** 30 rails - **Holds:** 15kg - **Cost per hour:** 7.9p * Cover included 30 rails across three tiers and a 15kg capacity hold a full household wash in one go. It comes with a cover, and costs 7.9p an hour to run. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/ha-tier-a/) ### For a small flat Homefront Slimline Electric Clothes Airer - **Type:** Compact - **Power:** 90W - **Cost per hour:** 2.4p It draws 90W, which keeps the running cost down to 2.4p an hour, and it folds away. The trade-off is space: it is sized for a few items or a small load, not a family wash. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/ha-mini-a/) [Manufacturer specs](https://www.homefrontproducts.co.uk/homefront-slimline-free-standing-electric-clothes-airer) ### For drying fast DrySoon Heated Drying Pod - **Type:** Drying pod - **Power:** 1kW - **Holds:** 10kg - **Cost per hour:** 26p * Cover included * Timer A drying pod with a full cover and a 1000W heater puts much more heat around the clothes than an open airer. That power costs more, at 26p an hour, so it suits people who need clothes dry the same day rather than overnight. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/ha-dryer-a/) [Manufacturer specs](https://www.lakeland.co.uk/53211/drysoon-heated-clothes-airer-drying-pod-holds-up-to-12-hangers-circulates-hot-air-for-quick-drying) ### On a budget BLACK+DECKER 63099 3-Tier Heated Airer - **Type:** Three-tier - **Power:** 300W - **Holds:** 15kg - **Cost per hour:** 7.9p A 300W three-tier airer with a 15kg capacity, sold without a cover, at 7.9p an hour. It comes without a cover, so throw a sheet over the top to get some of the same benefit. A plug-in timer will switch it off for you. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/ha-tier-b/) ## What they cost to run Heated airers use far less power than a tumble dryer, but they run for longer. A five-hour load on the family pick costs about 39p, and on the compact one about 12p. Drying time depends on the fabric, how full the airer is and how warm the room is. Costs use **26.32p per kWh**, the [Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales](https://ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026) for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your own tariff may differ. [How we calculate](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/how-we-calculate/). [Heated airer running costs](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/heated-airer-running-costs/) lists every model we cover, per hour and per load. [Running cost calculator](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/tools/running-cost-calculator/): Put in the wattage of your own airer or tumble dryer to see what it costs per hour and per month. ## Where to put it so it doesn't cause damp A heated airer dries clothes by turning the water in them into vapour, and all of that vapour goes into the room. In a cold house with the windows shut, it ends up on the windows and the coldest walls. 1. Spin the washing on the fastest setting the fabric allows, so there is less water to remove. 2. Use a small room with the door shut, so the moisture doesn't spread through the house. 3. Open a window a crack, or run a dehumidifier in the same room. 4. Keep the airer away from walls and curtains, so the damp air can move away from the clothes. 5. Use the cover if you have one, and the timer, then air the room once the clothes are dry. > **Airer and dehumidifier together** > > A dehumidifier pulls the water out of the air while the airer warms the clothes. Together they dry washing without wet windows. See [the best dehumidifier for drying laundry](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/best-dehumidifier-for-drying-laundry/). > **Use it safely** > > Plug the airer into a wall socket where you can, rather than a crowded extension lead. Keep the flex where no one will trip on it, and follow the manufacturer's instructions on load weight and what fabrics can go on the rails. More on [drying clothes indoors without causing damp](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/dry-clothes-indoors-without-damp/). ## Read next - [Heated airer running costs](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/heated-airer-running-costs/) (Running costs) What heated clothes airers cost per hour and per load at the current price cap, and how that compares with a tumble dryer. - [How to dry clothes indoors without causing damp](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/dry-clothes-indoors-without-damp/) (How to) A load of washing releases litres of water into the air. How to dry clothes inside without wet walls or mould. - [Electric blanket and heated throw running costs](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/electric-blanket-running-costs/) (Running costs) What electric blankets and heated throws cost per hour, per month and per winter at the current price cap. - [Oil radiator vs fan heater vs halogen heater: running costs](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/oil-radiator-vs-fan-heater-vs-halogen/) (Running costs) Which electric heater is cheapest to run, how thermostats change the answer, and which suits which room. --- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to shops are marked, and earning from them never decides what we recommend. [How this site is paid for](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/). Running costs use 26.32p per kWh for electricity and 7.97p per kWh for gas, the [Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales](https://ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026) for 1 October to 31 December 2026.